'Neighbourhood Ghost' by Felice Tang (FLARE 2009)

This is a take by the director on the classic case of a cynical old grump meeting a green-horned, innocent cub. In 'Neighbourhood Ghost', a blind man, shunned by society, retreats into a solitary, dim world of his own. It is also a world where it is hard to draw the line between reality and delusion. In the opening scene, he is shoved by passers-by. He falls onto the tarmac. What follows seems like a grey existence betwee a coma and an afterlife.

It is unclear if what follows is a journey of his moving spirit or simply just a dream. This led me into a pointless attempt to pigeon-hole in one of the 2 states. But that's my folly for it did not matter in the end because the point of the film seemed to be a 'change of perspective' and a 'liberation' of a mental stalemate.

A little boy comes along to offer company to the blind man. It is very a predictable pivot in the story and the boy's character almost seems like a token one. What I felt left wanting was the limited exposition and development of this little boy's character. Such would have made the pact between the blind man and him more meaningful.